My Guardian Angel
by Twizardck
Summary: The pain was unbearable. It tore through my body like a livewire and every time it gave me peace for a second meant that the next time it came would be even worse. A oneshot of Katniss and Peeta while Peeta had blood poisoning in "The Hunger Games"


I do not own The Hunger Games in any way, shape, or form.

O.o.O

The pain was unbearable. It tore through my body like a livewire and every time it gave me peace for a second meant that the next time it came would be even worse. I was vaguely aware that there were things that I was supposed to be doing. Every once and a while I would remember where I was. And when that happened a surge of panic overwhelmed me, jerking me upward into a sit only to have her push me down with a growl.

Her touch was electric too, but in a different way. Even in my sleep I was acutely aware of her presence. Somehow I realized that she was helping me. She was caring for me. And it made me feel more at ease. Under her care I slowly began to regain an idea of myself. But while I was dealing with the pain it hurt too much to open my eyes to the color, so I didn't try. I found that I couldn't remember her face.

There were times when she would leave, coming back with food or medicine. I could tell that she was trying to help me. But the pain wouldn't go away.

When I finally brought myself to open my eyes, she wasn't there. I felt my gaze wander around the cave, the specifics of my miserable situation returning to me. Slowly I turned to look at my wound. I could see the blood through my skin. I suddenly realized how hopeless the battle was. I had blood poisoning. It claimed so many lives, and without expensive medicine there was no curing it. And how would we get such medicine out here? We couldn't even get it back home.

Quiet footsteps came from the entrance and I whirled around, half expecting an enemy coming to finish me off. But it was just her. Seeing her face now made me wonder how I could ever have forgotten it. It was beautiful.

"You're awake," she said softly, cradling what looked suspiciously like a parachute in her hand.

I studied her. Her body language was different than what I remembered. Instead of standing firm and away like she used to around me, she was more at ease. I guessed that if you were nursing someone back to health you got used to their presence.

"You've been taking care of me. You're supposed to be winning. Taking care of me now will just make it harder to kill me later." I winced at how accusatory my voice sounded.

She blinked. "You didn't hear?"

I gazed at her in blank confusion, knowing my eyes must be glazed over in pain. The electrocution from the blood poisoning was jolting through me and I could feel myself shaking.

"The tributes from the same district can both win. The audience is sentimental." The way she said that suggested that the audience was sentimental with _us_. Her voice was softer than I remembered too. I realized that we had both seen things that had changed us. It was one thing watching it on TV. That was bad enough. Going through it in person would probably scar both of us, hurt us too deep too change.

My eyes returned to the parachute. "What is that?"

"Medicine," she whispered. "For your blood."

I was quiet while she knelt down next to me and administered the medicine. I was quiet when she stood up. I was quiet when she started to leave again.

She turned back to me. Her eyes were dull and I knew that she was deathly tired. "I can't kill you. No matter what, if something changes, if one of us has to die… don't make me do that. Don't force me to. Don't you dare tell me to."

"I can't promise that." I realized that my voice was all of a sudden quieter than usual.

"I can promise you that I will not kill you. Not after I've spent so long making sure that you don't die." She turned her head and her brown hair flipped around with her. I wondered if she was crying.

"Katniss." My voice was even quieter now, but I knew that she could hear me. Her head turned.

"Peeta." She shot my name right back at me.

I racked my mind for the right words. But before I could speak she took her chance.

"Peeta, if it comes to us killing each other, I want you to kill me and take care of my family. My mother and my sister."

I stared at Katniss in silence for a second, then shook my head slightly. "I can't kill my guardian angel.


End file.
